Halloween Hop

Saturday, October 26, 2013

§ You will waste a lot of paper. Wasting paper and purchasing printer cartridges are part of the trade. When you print your work and find it's beyond help or you need to start over, throw it away and delete it from your computer. Physically throwing it into the trash signifies a
new start mentally. Don’t worry about killing trees. Like crops, trees for
paper mills are planted, held in rotation until mature, and harvested.

§Writing is a lonely, solitary occupation. Writing
takes time. You will miss being out in the sunshine or watching your favorite
television show. You may miss family gatherings with a deadline near. You will
miss sleep. Make friends with other writers. They understand your crazy burning
need to create.

§Find a place to write where you feel
comfortable and secure. Arm the location with a good collegiate dictionary, The Chicago Manuel of Style, and an
unabridged Roget’s Thesaurus. Roget’s
has more than ten times the amount of synonyms than any online site. Then, find
something that signals routine and the need to sit down and write—like making
your bed, drinking that second cup of coffee or tea, or taking your dog for his
morning walk—or evening one if you write at night.

§Never, never send out your first draft to
anyone, anywhere. If possible, let your words sit for a while to cool like a
hot custard pie. It’s easier to see missing data, mistakes, and grammar
problems when you’ve distanced yourself from your work. Having trouble finding
your mistakes? If you’re prone to using Times New Roman on your computer screen,
print your work out in a different font like Courier, Arial, or Century
Schoolbook. Have a friend help you. Intensive editing is part of the writing process.

§Don’t believe people who say that writing
doesn’t have to be as perfect as possible—because that’s what editors are for. Everyday,
editors reject dozens of manuscripts. Do you think they’ll accept one with grammar
and punctuation mistakes or basic sentence structure problems? Your writing is
a reflection of who you are. It’s your first shot at making an impression and
getting a toehold into the publishing world. Just like a job interview, you
need to make it a good one.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

KEY TO LOVE is scheduled to be released in print on Wednesday, October 23rd. Here is one of my favorite interactions between my main characters, architect Elise Springer, and her old friend, Lucas Fisher. ~ ~ ~ *** ~ ~ ~

The first
thought crossing Lucas’s mind was that a blue tornado had swooped down without
warning. Elise
Springer barreled through the office door, crossed the distance between them
and slammed her fist on the metal desk so hard two pencils did simultaneous
jumping jacks before hitting the concrete at her feet.

“You liar!”
she shouted. Vicious claws, still splendidly colored a brilliant red, reached
out, clutching the front of his shirt and jerking him by the throat. "Having a
bad morning?” Lucas asked quietly, thankful he never made it a habit to fasten
the top button. “Maybe I should make a pot of coffee?” “You set me
up, you detestable jerk!” Her hand still held fast even when his came up to
cover it. “You never told me about the seventy-five thousand dollars Mike gave
you." He pried her
fingers loose, and she stepped back, slicing the air with the edge of her palm.
“I trusted you, you lowly worm. I went in there on your behalf!” Both hands
flew to her temples, massaging her forehead. She stomped to the window and back
again twice. “God, what a fool I am.” “It’s not
what it appears, Liz.” Lucas sat down, leaned back in a chair beside the desk,
and hoped Fritz had not lied and this was just one of her twenty-four hour
bouts of raving insanity. “Maybe you ought to sit down, and I’ll explain.” “You can
start spouting an explanation right now, pal, and I don’t need to sit to hear
your gibberish!” If her eyes
could throw darts, he’d be dead man for sure, Lucas decided. He mustered some
courage. “If I had told you Mike gave me money from his personal funds to
invest for him, you would have gone into the meeting with Pedmo and tried to
second guess her, just to defend me. I couldn’t take the chance. You got the
kid, right?”

Thursday, October 3, 2013

I'm excited. KEY TO LOVE, my contemporary romance and mystery, is scheduled for print version on October 23. I’m hoping to have a few books for Clearfield’s Fall Festival on October 12th which is
organized by the Clearfield Revitalization Corporation. I’m keeping my fingers
crossed. If you’re in the area, please
stop to say hello and see all the wonderful arts, crafts and vendors—plus food booths.

Here is a short blurb:

When architect
Elise Springer leaves San Francisco to check on her injured father in Pennsylvania, she is surprised to find Lucas Fisher, an old
friend of the family, has returned to the Scranton area to set up an automobile restoration business.
What she never expects is that in her quest to help Lucas get custody of his
orphaned, four-year-old nephew, she will unravel evidence to prove the death of
his brother wasn’t an accident. Elise will also discover that she is falling in
love with both Fisher men, the little animal-cracker-eating one and his
handsome, technology-challenged uncle. Will she be able to follow her heart on
the east coast, manage a career on the west coast, and find the Key to Love that will open the gates to
a lifetime of happiness?

~*~ MAILBOX ~*~

About Me

Welcome! I am a Pennsylvania writer and author of short stories and novels. My latest contemporary romance is FOUR WHITE ROSES. Please feel free to sign up for my newsletter. Comments are always welcome and appreciated.